1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cases for holding and storing both diapers and premoistened wipes needed for changing a baby's diaper and, more specifically, cases for holding the diapers and wipes in discrete compartments.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Parents and others responsible for infants and small children regularly and in every conceivable location need a reliable supply of both diapers and wipes. This requirement has given rise to numerous inventions allowing different baby supplies to be transported.
The most common examples of such an apparatus are standard diaper bags. Diaper bags are typically large, flexible, cloth bags with multiple compartments capable of carrying food, bottles, toys, diapers, wipes, lotions, powders, and any other accessories needed by a child. While these bags are useful to parents, they have their drawbacks. For examples, cloth bags are easily torn, and quickly become dirty from spilled milk, food, and dirty diapers or cloths. Due to the many compartments, it can also be difficult to thoroughly clean the bag.
Furthermore, since diaper bags do not typically include an airtight pocket, premoistened wipes which are commonly used in changing a baby's diaper must either be carried in their original container, which is typically relatively large, or must be transferred to another airtight container which is then placed within the diaper bag. Additionally, diaper bags are typically so large that on those times where only the essentials of a couple of diapers and some wipes are needed, conventional diaper bags become impractical and burdensome.
To help remedy the burden of always carrying a large bag, several recent inventions use disposable baby change kits such as those described by U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,161 issued to Jonese, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,378 issued to Finkel et al. The Jonese patent discloses a disposable kit having what it calls a plurality of baby products sufficient for two complete diaper changes. The Finkel patent discloses a single use disposable baby change kit. The kit is made from a thin plastic film folded over upon itself so that the wipes and diaper are enveloped within the kit and protected along with other baby products such as powder, soap and coupons. While these inventions do help solve the problems associated with large diaper bags, they are still not ideal in every situation and do not represent the most cost effective solution.
Often a baby does not require lotion, powder, or other baby care products. Any disposable kit containing such products would simply waste the additional products and their associated cost.
Additionally, if a child is extremely dirty a disposable kit may not contain sufficient wipes. A second kit would thus have to be used. Also, if a kit contains sufficient materials for multiple diapers, and only one is needed, then the additional wipes could easily dry out prior to the kit's use a second time.
Because diapers and wipes are typically cheapest when purchased in bulk, most households already have an ample supply of both on hand. Thus, what is really needed is not, a plurality of discrete single use kits, but a way to hold a desired amount of diapers and wipes.
Also, as babies grow, different size diapers are needed, thus making kits for small infants unsuitable for use with a toddler. This in turn increases costs because different kit sizes must be manufactured for each size of baby. Moreover, the fact that the kits are disposable means that they must be repurchased each time one is needed.
Finally, since these disposable kits are made of thin plastic film, they are less capable of being stored in any location where they would be subjected to any kind of force which could puncture or rip the thin plastic skin.